Method of and apparatus for processing film

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for processing a film has a cutting mechanism for cutting an elongate film, first and second feed mechanisms disposed on respective opposite sides of the cutting mechanism, an inserting mechanism for inserting an end of the film into a spool, and a cam switching mechanism for changing the timing of operation of the cutting mechanism depending on sized films having various different lengths. The sized films having various different lengths can automatically and easily be inserted into spools with a simple arrangement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus forprocessing an elongate photographic photosensitive film by cutting theelongate photographic photosensitive film to films of various presetlengths, and winding ends of the cut films on spools.

2. Description of the Related Art

For producing and packaging a photographic photosensitive film, it hasbeen customary to perform various steps including the steps of producinga film of given length, winding the film, placing the wound film into afilm cartridge, and inserting the film cartridge into a case.

These various steps are carried out by a facility comprising a filmsupply unit for unwinding a film roll of elongate photographicphotosensitive film and cutting (trimming) the unwound elongatephotographic photosensitive film to a sized film of given length, a filmcoiling unit for coiling the sized film of given length on a spoolthereby to produce a film coil, a cartridge producing unit for staking acap on an end of a tubular cartridge blank sheet thereby to produce acartridge with one open end, an assembling unit for inserting the filmcoil into the cartridge and staking another cap on the open end of thecartridge thereby to produce an assembled cartridge, and an encasingunit for placing the assembled cartridge into a case and attaching acase cap on an open end of the case thereby to produce a packagedproduct.

For coiling the sized film of given length on the spool, the elongatephotographic photosensitive film is delivered through a cuttingmechanism by a feeding mechanism, e.g., a sprocket, which is disposedupstream of the cutting mechanism. Then, after an end of thephotographic photosensitive film is inserted into a groove in the spoolthat is placed in an inserting position in a film inserting unit, thephotographic photosensitive film is fed a preset length between theinserting position and a cutting position. When the photographicphotosensitive film is cut by the cutting mechanism, a sized film ofgiven length is produced with its end inserted in the spool.

Packaged products contain differently dimensioned films having variousnumbers of frames. For example, commercially available films with 12,24, 36 frames are widely used in the market, and those sized films ofgiven length can automatically be wound on spools according to the aboveprocess.

It has been desired to manufacture packaged products containing sizedfilms of given length having 10 frames or less, e.g., 5 through 10frames, which will be presented as gifts to consumers. Since, however,sized films of given length having 10 frames or less are considerablyshort, the portion of the photographic photosensitive film to be cut offis positioned in the cutting mechanism before the end of thephotographic photosensitive film is inserted into the groove in thespool. As a result, the system for producing and packaging photographicphotosensitive films need to operate according to different sequencesfor sized films of given length having 12 frames or more and sized filmsof given length having 10 frames or less, and cannot easily be arrangedto manufacture sized films of given length having 10 frames or less.

The system for producing and packaging photographic photosensitive filmsmay be modified by changing the timing of operation of the actuators ofthe cutting mechanism, etc. for producing and packaging photographicphotosensitive films of differently dimensioned films. However, acontrol process for switching the actuators would be considerablycomplex.

If the spool is not accurately positioned when the sized film of givenlength is wound around the spool, then the end of the film is notreliably inserted into the groove in the spool, resulting in a windingfailure. If the sized film of given length is wound around a defectivespool which is devoid of a flange, then a defective film product isproduced. When such a defective film product is produced, the film whichis not defective and wound around the defective spool will be discarded,resulting in an uneconomical waste of the film material. If a defectivefilm of given length is wound around a normal spool, then a defectivefilm product is also produced, resulting in a reduction in the yield offilm products.

The film coiling unit for winding a sized film of given length around aspool employs a film winding device as disclosed in Japanese patentpublication No. 60-53868, for example. The disclosed film winding devicehas a turntable rotatably mounted on a support plate by a bearingmounted centrally on the support table, a chuck activating means, aspool positioning joint, and a film winding joint which are disposed atpredetermined angular intervals on the support plate. The turntablesupports thereon a plurality of spool chuck means each comprising amovable chuck and a fixed chuck.

When a spool is supplied concentrically to the spool chuck means that isaligned with the chuck activating means, a solenoid of the chuckactivating means is energized to move the movable chuck toward thespool. The spook is chucked by the spool chuck means, and the turntableis rotated to position the spool in alignment with the spool positioningjoint. The spool positioning joint has a spool positioning tooth heldagainst the spool. After a support shaft of the spool positioning jointand a support shaft of the movable chuck are electromagnetically coupledto each other by the energization of an electromagnetic coil, themovable chuck is rotated. When the spool positioning tooth engages in apositioning groove of the spool, the spool is stopped against rotation.

The positioned spool is then positioned at the film winding joint inunison with the spool chuck means. Upon energization of anelectromagnetic coil, a support shaft of the film winding joint and thesupport shaft of the movable chuck are electromagnetically coupled toeach other. The spool is rotated by a motor, winding a film whose distalend has been inserted into the spool.

In the above proposed film winding device, the chuck activating meanshas the solenoid for causing the spool chuck means to removably holdingthe spool. It has been difficult to energizing the solenoid at a highspeed in timed relation to the process of supplying the spool. In thespool positioning joint, when the electromagnetic coil is energized, amagnetic attractive plate is magnetized to attract an attractable platethereby to electromagnetically couple the support shaft of the spoolpositioning joint and the support shaft of the movable chuck to eachother. However, such an arrangement makes the overall spool positioningjoint complex in structure.

In a spool positioning station and a film coiling station, a motor shaftfor each station and a spool rotating shaft are driven by a belt (timingbelt) and sprockets as a drive means for rotating a spool. Therefore, itis difficult to coil the film at a high speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a general object of the present invention to provide a method ofand an apparatus for processing a film to produce various films ofdifferent lengths and insert ends of the films reliably into grooves inspools, according to a simple control process and with a simplearrangement.

A major object of the present invention to provide a method of and anapparatus for processing a film to wind a sized film of given lengthsmoothly around a spool for thereby producing a high-quality filmproduct, while reliably preventing a spool positioning failure, etc.

A principal object of the present invention to provide a method of andan apparatus for processing a film to wind a film around a spool easilyand reliably and speed up a winding process with a simple arrangement.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more apparent from the following description whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferredembodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrativeexample.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrative of the manner inwhich a packaged product is manufactured by a film producing andpackaging system which carries out a method of processing a filmaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the film producing and packagingsystem;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side elevational view of the film producing andpackaging system;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevational view of a succession of unitsranging from a film supply unit to an assembling unit of the filmproducing and packaging system;

FIG. 5 is a schematic side elevational view of a cutting and insertingdevice for carrying out the method of processing a film;

FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of a cutting mechanism and a camswitching mechanism of the film cutting and inserting device;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, partly cut away, of the cam switchingmechanism;

FIG. 8A is a side elevational view of the cam switching mechanism,showing a first cam assembly in an operable state;

FIG. 8B is a side elevational view of the cam switching mechanism,showing a second cam assembly in an operable state;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a second feed mechanism of the filmcutting and inserting device;

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of a cam switching assembly of thesecond feed mechanism;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of an inserting mechanism of the filmcutting and inserting device;

FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the inserting mechanism;

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of the inserting mechanism;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a defective film discharging structure;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a spool chuck mechanism on a firstturntable;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the spool chuck mechanism in itsentirety;

FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the spool chuck mechanism;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the spool chuck mechanism and the firstturntable;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a rotatable pin and a spool of thespool chuck mechanism;

FIG. 20 is a side elevational view, partly cut away, of a film coilingunit;

FIG. 21 is a fragmentary perspective view of the film coiling unit and acam mechanism;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the film cam mechanism;

FIG. 23 is a front elevational view, partly cut away, of the filmcoiling unit;

FIG. 24 is another front elevational view, partly cut away, of the filmcoiling unit;

FIG. 25 is a side elevational view, partly cut away, of a rotating andpositioning mechanism of the film coiling unit;

FIG. 26 is a fragmentary perspective view of a spool rotating mechanismof the film coiling unit;

FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a spool chuck mechanism of a spoolpositioning and supplying unit;

FIG. 28 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of a spoolpositioning assembly;

FIG. 29 is a timing chart showing a normal mode of operation;

FIG. 30A is a schematic view illustrative of the manner in which anelongate film is fed out;

FIG. 30B is a schematic view illustrative of the manner in which a filmguide is opened;

FIG. 30C is a schematic view illustrative of the manner in which aleading end of the elongate film is inserted into a spool;

FIG. 30D is a schematic view illustrative of the manner in which theelongate film is cut off;

FIG. 31 is a timing short showing a short-film mode of operation;

FIG. 32A is a schematic view illustrative of the manner in which theelongate film is fed out;

FIG. 32B is a schematic view illustrative of the manner in which theelongate film is cut off;

FIG. 32C is a schematic view illustrative of the manner in which a sizedfilm of given length is inserted into a spool;

FIG. 32D is a schematic view illustrative of the manner in which thefilm of given length is released; and

FIG. 33 is a schematic view of a cutting and inserting device accordingto a second embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates in schematic perspective the manner in which apackaged product 12 is manufactured by a film producing and packagingsystem 10 which carries out a method of processing a film according to afirst embodiment of the present invention. The film producing andpackaging system 10 are shown in plan and side elevation in FIGS. 2 and3, respectively.

As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, the film producing and packaging system10 generally comprises a film supply unit 18 for unwinding a film roll14 of elongate photographic photosensitive film F (hereinafter referredto as elongate film F), cutting the unwound elongate film F into a film16 of given length, and supplying the film 16, a film coiling unit(processing unit) 22 for positioning a spool 20 and the film 16relatively to each other and winding the film 16 on the spool 20, acartridge producing unit 30 for rounding a cartridge blank sheet 24 intoa tubular form and staking a cap 26 a on one end of the tubular formthereby to produce a cartridge 28 with one open end, an assembling unit36 for inserting a film coil 32, which is made up of the film 16 woundon the spool 20, into the cartridge 28 through the open end thereof, andthen staking another cap 26 b on the open end of the cartridge 28thereby to produce an assembled cartridge 34, and an encasing unit 42for placing the assembled cartridge 34 into a case 38 and attaching acase cap 40 to an open end of the case 38 thereby to produce a packagedproduct 12.

The film supply unit 18, the film coiling unit 22, and the assemblingunit 36 are housed in a dark room 44, and other devices, i.e., theencasing unit 42, etc. are housed in a bright room 45. The spool 20 hasa groove 20 a into which a film 16 of given length or an elongate film Fis to be inserted, a step 20 b for positioning the spool 20, a key 20 c,a shorter boss (first boss) 20 d on one end of the spool 20 near the key20 c, a longer boss (second boss) 20 e on the other end of the spool 20,and a pair of flanges 20 f, 20 g, and a shank 20 h.

Downstream of the film producing and packaging process, there are aspool supply unit 50 for supplying spools 20 to the film coiling unit22, a cap supply unit 52 for supplying caps 26 b to the assembling unit36, a case cap supply unit 54 for supplying case caps 40 to the encasingunit 42, and a case supply unit 56 for supplying cases 38 to theencasing unit 42. The spool supply unit 50, the cap supply unit 52, thecase cap supply unit 54, and the case supply unit 56 are positionedclosely to each other.

As shown in FIG.2, a cap supply unit 59 for supplying caps 26 a and acartridge blank sheet supply unit 60 for supplying cartridge blanksheets 24 on a pallet 57 are disposed near the cartridge producing unit30. Packaged film product accumulating units 61 a, 61 b, 61 c aredisposed near the spool supply unit 50, the cap supply unit 52, the casecap supply unit 54, and the case supply unit 56. The packaged filmproduct accumulating units 61 a, 61 b, 61 c and the encasing unit 42 arecoupled to each other by a conveyor 62.

As shown in FIG. 4, the film supply unit 18 comprises a feeder 70 forholding a film roll 14 and unwinding the film roll 14, a splicer 72 forsplicing a trailing end of the film roll 14 to a leading end of a newfilm roll 14, a perforator 76 for forming perforations 74 (see FIG. 1)in opposite longitudinal sides of an elongate film F unwound from thefilm roll 14, and a side printer 78 for printing latent image data onone or both of the sides of the elongate film F.

The side printer 78 comprises a first printing mechanism 80 and a secondprinting mechanism 82. The first printing mechanism 80 records aweb-shaped print depending on the type of the film as a latent image onone or both sides of elongate films F, and the second printing mechanism82 records a DX bar code, frame numbers, frame number bar codes, acommercial name, depending on the size of the film as latent images onone or both sides of elongate films F.

A film cutting and inserting device (film processing device) 90 isdisposed downstream of the side printer 78. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5,the film cutting and inserting device 90 comprises a cutting mechanism92 for cutting off the elongate film F into a sized film 16 of givenlength, a first feed mechanism 94 for feeding the elongate film F adistance equal to the given length toward the cutting mechanism 92, asecond feed mechanism 96 disposed downstream of the cutting mechanism92, for feeding the trailing end 16 c of the sized film 16 toward aspool 20 disposed in an inserting position in the film coiling unit 22,an inserting mechanism 98 disposed near the spool 20, for inserting theleading end of the elongate film F (or the sized film 16) into the spool20, and a cam switching mechanism 100 for changing the timing ofoperation of the cutting mechanism 92 depending on the given length.

The first feed mechanism 94 has a sprocket 102 whose teeth can beinserted into the perforations defined in the both sides of the elongatefilm F, for feeding the elongate film F a constant length in thedirection indicated by the arrow A. The sprocket 102 can be rotatedabout its own axis counterclockwise in the direction indicated by thearrow in FIG. 5 by a servomotor (rotary actuator) 103.

As shown in FIGS. 4 through 6, the cutting mechanism 92 comprises afixed blade 104 and a movable blade 106 which are disposed in verticallyspaced and confronting relationship to each other. As shown in FIG. 6,the movable blade 106 is fixed to a lower end of a vertically movablebase 108 that is vertically movably supported on a vertically extendingrail 110. The vertically movable base 108 has an upper end to whichthere is pivoted an end of a short link 112 whose other end is pivotallycoupled to an end of a long link 114. The other end of the long link 114integrally coupled to a joint 118 that is angularly movably supported bya pivot 116. The cam switching mechanism 100 is operatively connected tothe joint 118.

The cam switching mechanism 100 comprises first and second camassemblies 120, 122 selectively connected to the cutting mechanism 92,for changing the timing of operation of the cutting mechanism 92. Asshown in FIGS. 7, 8A, and 8B, the first and second cam assemblies 120,122 have respective first and second cams 126, 128 juxtaposed on a driveshaft 124 for rotation in unison with each other, respective first andsecond cam followers 130, 132 engageable with the first and second cams126, 128, respectively, and a switching unit 134 for selectivelybringing the first and second cam followers 130, 132 into engagementwith the first and second cams 126, 128, respectively.

The first cam 126 has a first cam profile surface 136 for slidingcontact with the first cam follower 130, and the second cam 128 has asecond cam profile surface 138 for sliding contact with the second camfollower 132. The first and second cam profile surfaces 136, 138 havesuch a profile that they can actuate the movable blade 106 of thecutting mechanism 92 at respective angular positions. The timing ofoperation of the movable blade 106 with the first and second camassemblies 120, 122 will be described later on.

The cam switching mechanism 100 includes a base 140 on which ahorizontal rod 142 is mounted in upwardly spaced relation thereto. Amovable tube 144 is axially movably fitted over the rod 142 for movementin the directions indicated by the arrow B. First and second swingplates 146, 148 are fixedly mounted on the outer circumferential surfaceof the movable tube 144 and extend radially across the movable tube 144in parallel spaced relation to each other. A pair of axially spacedflanges 150 a, 150 b is mounted on the movable tube 144 near one endthereof on one side of the first and second swing plates 146, 148.

The first and second cam followers 130, 132 are mounted on respectiveends of the first and second swing plates 146, 148, and a support shaft152 is fixed to the other ends of the first and second swing plates 146,148. The support shaft 152 is supported for movement in the horizontaldirection by a predetermined distance with respect to a tube 154. Asshown in FIG. 6, a first cylinder 155 is attached to the tube 154, and asecond cylinder (actuating means) 157 engages the first cylinder 155through a connecting rod 156. To the second cylinder 157, there iscoupled an end of a swing link 158 that is angularly movable about acentral shaft 160. The swing link 158 has a lower end coupled to thejoint 118 of the long link 114.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the switching unit 134 has a cylinder 164mounted on a pair of attachment plates 162 parallel to the movable tube144. The cylinder 164 has a piston rod (not shown) projecting therefromon which a roller cam 170 is mounted by an arm 168. The roller cam 170is positioned between the flanges 150 a, 150 b on the movable tube 144.

As shown in FIG. 5, the second feed mechanism 96 comprises a nip rollerpair 180 for gripping and feeding an elongate film F and a sized film16, an openable and closable film guide 182 disposed between the niproller pair 180 and the inserting mechanism 98, and a cam switching unit184 for changing the timing of operation of the film guide 182 dependingon the length of a sized film 16 which has been cut off. The nip rollerpair 180 comprises a drive roller 188 rotatable by a servomotor 186 anda driven roller 190 held in rolling contact with the drive roller 188.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the film guide 182 has a horizontal supportplate 194 fixed to a frame 192 and a pair of parallel rotatable shafts196 a, 196 b disposed on the support plate 194. Pairs of joint bars 198a, 198 b are fixed at upper ends thereof to axially opposite ends of therotatable shafts 196 a, 196 b and at lower ends thereof to guide members200 a, 200 b. The guide members 200 a, 200 b are elongate in thedirection indicated by the arrow A, and have respective guide grooves202 a, 202 b defined in respective facing sides thereof.

As shown in FIG. 10, the cam switching unit 184 has a fixed bracket 204which supports a rod 206 on its distal end. A movable tube 208 is fittedover the rod 206 for axial movement thereon, and first and second swingplate 210 a, 210 b which are axially spaced from each other are mountedon the movable tube 208 and extend upwardly therefrom. First and secondcam followers 212 a, 212 b are supported on respective upper ends of thefirst and second swing plate 210 a, 210 b. The first and second camfollowers 212 a, 212 b can selectively engage first and second cams 214a, 214 b, respectively, which are fixedly mounted on a drive shaft 216for rotation therewith.

A switching unit 218 is combined with the movable tube 208. Theswitching unit 218 is identical in structure to the switching unit 134,and will not be described in detail below.

A swing lever 220 is mounted on and extends downwardly from the movabletube 208. The swing lever 220 has a lower end engaged by a tensionspring 222 disposed below the fixed bracket 204. A joint rod 224 has anend pivotally coupled to the swing lever 220 and an opposite endpivotally coupled to an upper end of a swing link 226 that is angularlymovable about a central shaft 228. The swing link 226 has a lower endcoupled to links 230 which are pivoted to respective joints 231 a, 231 bsecured to the respective rotatable shafts 196 a, 196 b.

As shown in FIGS. 11 through 13, the inserting mechanism 98 comprises apair of first and second inserting rollers 234, 236 rotatable insynchronism with each other by an insertion motor 232 such as aservomotor or the like (rotary actuator), a pair of first and secondpinch rollers 238, 240, each split into two roller segments, rollinglyengageable with the first and second inserting rollers 234, 236,respectively, and an openable and closable insertion guide 242.

The first and second inserting rollers 234, 236 can be rotated by theinsertion motor 232 through a belt and pulley mechanism 244 operativelycoupled to the insertion motor 232. The insertion guide 242 comprises apair of guide plates 248 a, 248 b swingable about respective supportshafts 246 a, 246 b. The first and second pinch rollers 238, 240 arerotatably supported on the guide plates 248 a, 248 b, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 5, a discharge port 250 for automatically dischargingdefective films Fa is positioned below the film guide 182 for movementin a direction normal to the sheet of FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 14, adischarge chute 252 has an end connected to the discharge port 250. Thedischarge chute 252 extends from the dark room 44 into the bright room45 where it communicates with an accumulation chamber 256 within adischarge box 254. To an upper portion of the discharge box 254, thereis connected an end of a pipe 258 which extends vertically downwardlyand is connected to an air blower 259.

As shown in FIG. 5, the film coiling unit 22 has a first turntable 262fixed to a main shaft 260 intermittently rotatable clockwise in thedirection indicated by the arrow. Six spool chuck mechanisms 264, forexample, are mounted at equal angular intervals on the first turntable262. The first turntable 262 has thereon a spool supply station ST1, aspool positioning inspecting station ST2, an inserting station ST3, aprewinding station ST4, a winding station ST5, and a transfer stationST6 which are successively angularly positioned clockwise (in thedirection indicated by the arrow) in the order named.

As shown in FIGS. 15 through 18, each of the spool chuck mechanisms 264is of a unitized construction, and removably mounted on an outercircumferential facet of the first turntable 262 by a positioningassembly 265. As shown in FIG. 18, the positioning assembly 265comprises six sets of positioning pins 267 a, 267 b mounted on sides ofthe first turntable 262, and engaging holes 266 a, 266 b defined in endsof support blocks 266 of the spool chuck mechanisms 264.

Each of the support blocks 266 of the spool chuck mechanisms 264 hasattachment holes 266 c, 266 d defined therein, and the first turntable262 has threaded holes 269 a, 269 b defined in the outer circumferentialfacets thereof. Screws 271 a, 271 b are threaded through the attachmentholes 266 c, 266 d into the threaded holes 269 a, 269 b, fastening thespool chuck mechanisms 264 to the respective outer circumferentialfacets of the first turntable 262.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the support block 266 supports on one endthereof a first support assembly 268 for engaging one end of a spool 20and rotatably supporting the spool 20, and also supports on the otherend thereof a second support assembly 270 for rotatably supporting theother end of the spool 20. The first support assembly 268 has a fixedsleeve 272 fixed to the support block 266, and a movable sleeve 276which is movable back and forth in the directions indicated by the arrowB by a cam mechanism 274 is disposed around the fixed sleeve 272. Aspring 278 is interposed between the movable sleeve 276 and the fixedsleeve 272. A mechanical clutch 280 has a clutch sleeve 282 fittedaround the movable sleeve 276, with a spring 284 interposed between theclutch sleeve 282 and the movable sleeve 276.

The clutch sleeve 282 has a clutch surface 292 which can be brought intoand out of contact with a clutch surface 290 of a clutch member 288integrally coupled to a holder shaft 286 rotatably disposed in the fixedsleeve 272. The holder shaft 286 can be rotated and stopped when theclutch surfaces 290, 292 engage and disengage from each other (see FIG.17). The clutch member 288 has a gear 294 on an end thereof remote fromthe clutch surface 290. The holder shaft 286 has a cylindrical body 296for engaging an end of the spool 20 and a rotatable pin 300 axiallymovably positioned in the cylindrical body 296 under the bias of aspring 298. The cylindrical body 296 has a stepped inner circumferentialsurface 296 a on an end thereof for engaging an end surface and outercircumferential surface of the shorter boss 20 d of the spool 20. Thestepped inner circumferential surface 296 a is of a tapered shapespreading outwardly toward the spool 20 for guiding the shorter boss 20d. The first support assembly 268 has a self-locking mechanism 302 forpreventing the spool 20 from rotating undesirably.

As shown in FIG. 19, the rotatable pin 300 has a groove 301 forreceiving the key 20 c in an end of the spool 20. The groove 301 has anopening having a dimension that differs from the thickness of the key 20c by a range from +0.7 mm to +0.9 mm. The groove 301 includes outwardlyspreading tapered ends 303 for guiding the key 20 c. The rotatable pin300 is axially movable under the resiliency of the spring 298 forpreventing the spool 20 and a spool rotating mechanism 392 (describedlater on) from being damaged. The spring 298 has a spring force that ismaintained in a range from 250 gf to 450 gf.

As shown in FIG. 17, the second support assembly 270 has a fixed sleeve304 fixed to the support block 266 and an axially movable slide pin 306disposed in the fixed sleeve 304. The slide pin 306 supports a rotatablesleeve 308 mounted on a distal end thereof. The rotatable sleeve 308 hasa stepped inner circumferential surface 308 a on an end thereof forengaging an end surface and outer circumferential surface of the longerboss 20 e of the spool 20. The stepped inner circumferential surface 308a is of a tapered shape spreading outwardly toward the spool 20 forguiding the longer boss 20 e. When the shorter and longer bosses 20 d,20 e on the opposite ends of the spool 20 are held respectively by theinner circumferential surfaces 296 a, 308 a, the spool 20 is centered inposition within an accuracy of 0.05 mm with respect to the diameter ofthe shorter and longer bosses 20 d, 20 e.

The cam mechanism 274 has a swing arm 310 angularly movably mounted onthe support block 266 by a support shaft 312. The swing arm 310 has alonger arm portion whose end is engaged by the movable sleeve 276, andis engaged by a bobbin-shaped cam 314 between the movable sleeve 276 andthe support shaft 312. The bobbin-shaped cam 314 is fixed to an end of arod 316 and is normally urged to move axially in the direction indicatedby the arrow B by a spring 318 acting on the bobbin-shaped cam 314 (seeFIG. 17). The rod 316 has an opposite end engaged by an end of a link319 which is pivotally supported at its substantially central region bya support shaft 320. The slide pin 306 is coupled to the opposite end ofthe link 319.

The swing arm 310 has a shorter arm portion whose end is held in slidingcontact with a cam surface 324 of a first cam member 322. As shown inFIG. 20, the first cam member 322 is fixed to a column 330 on which thedistal end of the main shaft 260 is rotatably supported by a bearing328. The cam surface 324 of the first cam member 322 serves to move thefirst and second support assemblies 268, 270 through the swing arm 310(see FIG. 21).

Specifically, the cam surface 324 has a cam profile shaped such thatwhile a spool chuck mechanism 264 is moving from the transfer stationST6 to the spool supply station ST1 upon rotation of the first turntable262, the spool chuck mechanism 264 releases a spool 20, and while aspool chuck mechanism 264 is moving from the spool supply station ST1 tothe transfer station ST6, the spool chuck mechanism 264 grips a spool20.

As show in FIGS. 21 through 23, the spool supply station ST1 has a firstcam mechanism 329 a for converting a spool chuck mechanism 264 from aspool releasing state to a spool gripping state, and the transferstation ST6 has a second cam mechanism 329 b for converting the spoolchuck mechanism 264 from a spool gripping state to a spool releasingstate. The first and second cam mechanisms 329 a, 329 b have respectivefirst and second fingers 331 a, 331 b movable radially along the firstcam 322 while holding the end of the swing arm 310, and respective firstand second links 333 a, 333 b for moving the respective first and secondfingers 331 a, 331 b radially.

As shown In FIGS. 15 through 17, a presser roller 332 for holding theend of a sized film 16 wound around the spool 20 is swingably mounted onthe support block 266 by a swing member 334. The swing member 334 isswingably mounted on the support block 266 by a support shaft 336, andhas a pair of attachment arms 338 on an end thereof which are spaced agiven distance from each other. The presser roller 332 is rotatablymounted on and between the attachment arms. The presser roller 332 isnormally urged toward the spool 20 by a spring 339 connected to theswing member 334. A cam roller 340 is mounted on an opposite end of theswing member 334 and held in rolling contact with a cam surface 344 of asecond cam member 342.

As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the second cam member 342 is rotatablymounted on the main shaft 260 by bearings 346, and has an end to which acam rod 348 is coupled. As shown in FIG. 24, the cam surface 344 has acam profile shaped such that the cam roller 340 held in rolling contactwith the cam surface 344 causes the presser roller 332 to press the endof the sized film 16 wound around the spool 20 between the prewindingstation ST4 and the transfer station ST6. In the transfer station ST6,the cam rod 348 operates to move the presser roller 332 toward and awayfrom the end of the sized film 16.

As shown in FIGS. 20, 25, and 26, the spool positioning inspectingstation ST2 has a rotating and positioning mechanism 390 for positioninga spool 20 held by the spool chuck mechanism 264. The rotating andpositioning mechanism 390 has a spool rotating mechanism 392 which ismovable toward and away from the first support assembly 268 of the spoolchuck mechanism 264 by a cam mechanism 394.

The cam mechanism 394 has a swing arm 400 which is angularly movablewith respect to a base plate 398 by a cam rod 396. A horizontal guideplate 402 is mounted on the base plate 398, and a slide base 404 ismounted on the guide rail 402 for movement toward and away from the baseplate 398. The swing arm 400 has an end engaging the slide base 404.

The spool rotating mechanism 392 has a motor 406 fixed to the slide base404 and having a drive shaft 408 to which a magnetic torque controlmechanism 410 is coupled. The magnetic torque control mechanism 410 hasan output shaft connected by a coupling 412 to a rotatable shaft 414that is rotatably supported in a sleeve 418 by bearings 416 (see FIG.25).

The sleeve 418 projects through a hole 420 defined in the base plate 398toward the turntable 262, and supports on its outer circumferentialsurface a clutch drive sleeve 422 engageable with the clutch sleeve 282of the mechanical clutch 280 for pressing the clutch sleeve 282 in adirection away from the clutch member 288. A clutch member 426 biased bya spring 424 is axially movably mounted on the rotatable shaft 414, andhas on its distal end a gear 428 for meshing engagement with the gear294 of the clutch member 288.

As shown in FIG. 24, the rotating and positioning mechanism 390 has anengaging finger 430 for engaging the step 20 b of the spool 20 when thespool 20 is to be rotated by the spool rotating mechanism 392, an arm434 on which the engaging finger 430 is swingably supported with aspring 432 acting between the arm 434 and the engaging finger 430, and acam assembly 436 for angularly moving the arm 434 with respect to thespool 20. The cam assembly 436 comprises a cam rod 438 coupled to anactuator (not shown) for back-and-forth movement, and a link 440 havingan end coupled to the cam rod 438 and an opposite end coupled to the arm434.

As shown in FIG. 5, the spool positioning inspecting station ST2 has aninspecting device 441 for inspecting the positioning of the spool 20.The inspecting device 441 has a photosensor, for example, which detectsthe groove 20 a of the spool 20 (see FIG. 1) to detect the position ofthe spool 20. If desired, the spool positioning inspecting station ST2may have another device having a photosensor for inspecting whether theflanges of the spool 20 are defective or not upon rotation of the spool20.

The inserting station ST3 has an insertion detecting device 442 fordetecting when the leading end 16 a of the elongate film F or the sizedfilm 16 fed from the film supply unit 18 is inserted into the groove 20a in the spool 20 which is held by the spool chuck mechanism 264. Theinsertion detecting device 442 has a microswitch (not shown) which isactuated when the leading end 16 a is inserted into the groove 20 a andprojects outwardly.

The prewinding station ST4 and the winding station ST5 have a prewindingmechanism 444 and a winding mechanism 446 (see FIGS. 20 and 26) eachfunctioning as a spool winding mechanism. The prewinding mechanism 444and the winding mechanism 446 are substantially identical in structureto the spool rotating mechanism 392. Those parts of the prewindingmechanism 444 and the winding mechanism 446 which are identical thespool rotating mechanism 392 are denoted by identical referencecharacters, and will not be described in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 5, the prewinding station ST4 has a pair of touchrollers 448 a, 448 b for pressing the sized film 16 when the sized film16 is wound around the spool 20, the touch rollers 448 a, 448 b beingvertically movable and angularly movable. As shown in FIG. 4, theprewinding station ST4 also has a film guide 450 and a pair of first andsecond photosensors 452 a, 452 b spaced a predetermined distance fromeach other along the film guide 450. In the prewinding station ST4, whenthe trailing end 16 c of the sized film 16 to be prewound on the spool20 passes across the first photosensor 452 a, the prewinding mechanism444 is decelerated, and when the trailing end 16 c of the sized film 16to be prewound on the spool 20 passes across the second photosensor 452b, the prewinding mechanism 444 is inactivated.

The winding mechanism 446 is associated with a third photosensor 454which detects when the sized film 16 is wound around the spool 20 undera predetermined condition.

As shown in FIG. 5, a spool positioning and supplying unit 460 isdisposed outside of the first turntable 262. The spool positioning andsupplying unit 460 has a second turntable 462 intermittently rotatableclockwise in the direction indicated by the arrow. The second turntable462 has four spool chuck mechanisms 464, for example, mounted at equalangular intervals thereon. The second turntable 462 has a spoolreceiving station ST1 a, a spool positioning station ST2 a, and thespool supply station ST1 which are successively angularly positionedclockwise (in the direction indicated by the arrow) in the order named.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 27, each of the spool chuck mechanisms 464comprises a spool shank holder base 466 integral with an end of thesecond turntable 462, and a spool shank chuck 468 angularly movable withrespect to the spool shank holder base 466. The spool shank holder base466 has such a length as to receive therein a shank 20 h of the spool 20between the flanges 20 f, 20 g, and has a spool shank engaging groove470 defined therein along its length. The spool shank engaging groove470 has a diameter which is greater than the diameter of the shank 20 hof the spool 20 by a range from +2.0 mm to +0.4 mm.

The spool shank chuck 468 has an end fixed to a rotatable shaft 472rotatably supported on the second turntable 462 and has a pair offingers 474 a, 474 b on its opposite end which are curvedcomplementarily to the shank 20 h of the spool 20. Pads of a materialhaving a large coefficient of friction, i.e., rubber, are applied toinner surfaces of the fingers 474 a, 474 b. The spool shank chuck 468also has a spool positioning finger 476 positioned near one of thefingers 474 a which is narrower than the other finger 474 b. The spoolpositioning finger 476 serves to engage the step 20 b of the spool 20thereby positioning the spool 20.

A spring 478 is mounted on the rotatable shaft 472 for normally urgingthe spool shank chuck 468 toward the spool shank holder base 466. A camfollower 480 engaging a rotary cam 479 is mounted on one end of therotatable shaft 472 (see FIG. 27).

As shown in FIG.5 and FIG. 27, the spool receiving station ST1 has aspool supply unit 490 having an air chute 492 and a stopper 494positioned at an end of the air chute 492. In order to place a spool 20fed by the air chute 492 at an ejecting position one at a time, thestopper 494 serves to hold a next spool 20 in the air chute 492. Thestopper 494 is rotatable about its own axis and supports an eccentriccam 495 on an end thereof, the eccentric cam 495 having a varyingthickness for returning the next spool in a direction opposite to thedirection in which the spool 20 is fed in the air chute 492. The airchute 492 may be replaced with a conveyor.

A pusher 496 is disposed in the ejecting position for pushing the spool20 from the ejecting position toward the spool chuck mechanism 464 inthe spool receiving station ST1 a.

The spool positioning station ST2 a has a spool positioning unit 500(see FIG. 28). As shown in FIG. 28, the spool positioning unit 500 has amotor 502 which is movable toward and away from the second turntable 482by a displacing mechanism (not shown). The motor 502 has a drive shaft504 to which there is coupled a hysteresis clutch 506 with a rotatablepin 508 joined thereto. The rotatable pin 508 can be fitted into one ofthe ends of the spool 20. A rotatable sleeve 510 rotatably supported ona bracket 512 is disposed in axially confronting relation to therotatable pin 508 for engagement with the other end of the spool 20. Thebracket 512 is movable toward and away from the second turntable 482 byan actuating mechanism (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 4, a first transfer unit 514 and a second transfer unit516 are disposed downstream of the film coiling unit 22. When the firsttransfer unit 514 receives the film coil 32 with the sized film 16 woundaround the spool 20 from the spool chuck mechanism 264 and turns thefilm coil 32 by 180°, the first transfer unit 514 angularly moves thefilm coil 32 from a horizontal attitude to a vertical attitude. Thesecond transfer unit 516 inserts the film coil 32 received from thefirst transfer unit 514 into the cartridge 28 with one open end which isplaced on an index table 518 of the assembling unit 36.

A discharge chute 520 is disposed closely to the second transfer unit516. To the discharge chute 520, there are discharged film coils 32 witha coiling failure and spools 20 with no sized film 16 wound therearoundby a discharging unit (not shown).

The encasing unit 42 comprises an index table 522 which can successivelybe indexed to index positions associated with a station for supplying acase 38, a station for inserting an assembled cartridge 34 into the case38, a station for detecting whether there is an assembled cartridge 34or not, a station for inserting a case cap 40 into the open end of thecase 38, a station for discharging a normal packaged product 12, and astation for discharging a defective packaged product 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the film producing and packaging system 10 iscontrolled by an in-factory network including a computer 530. The filmproducing and packaging system 10 is divided into a plurality of blocksthat are individually controlled by respective computers under thecontrol of the computer 530.

Operation of the film producing and packaging system 10 with respect tothe method of processing a film according to the first embodiment willbe described below.

As shown in FIG. 4, the feeder 70 in the film supply unit 18 is operatedto rotate the film roll 14 clockwise in the direction indicated by thearrow to deliver the leading end of the unreeled new elongate film F tothe splicer 72. The elongate film F passes through the splicer 72 to theperforator 76 which forms perforations 74 in opposite sides of theelongate film F.

The perforated elongate film F is fed to the side printer 78 wherelatent images of strip-like prints depending on the film type are formedon one or both sides of the elongate film F by the first printingmechanism 80. The printed elongate film F forms a free loop, after whichthe second printing mechanism 82 above the sprocket 114 records a DX barcode, frame numbers, frame number bar codes, a commercial name,depending on the film size as latent images on one or both sides ofelongate films F.

The elongate film F which has passed through the side printer 78 is fedinto the film cutting and inserting device 90. The film cutting andinserting device 90 is controlled to switch between two modes ofoperation depending on the length of the sized film 16 to be woundaround the spool 20. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the film cuttingand inserting device 90 operates in one mode if the sized film 16 has 12frames or more and hence is longer than a distance H from the cuttingposition in the cutting mechanism 92 to the position where the leadingend of the sized film 16 is inserted into the spool 20, and in the othermode if the sized film 16 has 10 frames or less and hence is shorterthan the distance H.

A process of positioning the spool 20 in the inserting station ST3 wherethe leading end of the sized film 16 is inserted into the spool 20 willfirst be described below. As shown in FIG. 27, spools 20 are successivefed in and along the air chute 492 of the spool supply unit 490, andonly the leading spool 20 is placed in the ejecting position by thestopper 494. The pusher 496 is operated to deliver the leading spool 20toward the spool chuck mechanism 464 disposed in the spool receivingstation ST1 a.

In the spool chuck mechanism 464, the cam follower 480 is held inengagement with the rotary cam 479, holding the spool shank chuck 468away from the spool shank holder base 466. The shank 20 h of the spool20 delivered by the spool chuck mechanism 464 is placed in the spoolshank engaging groove 470 in the spool shank holder base 466. When thecam follower 480 is angularly displaced by the rotary cam 479, the spoolshank chuck 468 is swung toward the spool shank holder base 466 underthe bias of the spring 478. The spool 20 on the spool shank holder base466 is pressed by the fingers 474 a, 474 b of the spool shank chuck 468,and hold against the spool shank holder base 466.

Then, the pusher 496 is retracted, and the second turntable 462 isturned about 90° in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5,bringing the spool 20 held by the spool chuck mechanism 464 to the spoolpositioning station ST2 a. As shown in FIG. 28, in the spool positioningstation ST2 a, the bracket 512 and the motor 502 of the spoolpositioning unit 500 are displaced toward the opposite ends of the spool20.

Therefore, the rotatable sleeve 510 rotatably supported on the bracket512 is fitted over one of the ends of the spool 20, and the rotatablepin 508 coupled to the drive shaft 504 of the motor 502 by thehysteresis clutch 506 is inserted into the other end of the spool 20.When the motor 502 is then energized, the rotatable pin 502 is rotatedwhile being held in engagement with key in the shank end of the spool 20under magnetic forces, thereby rotating the spool 20 about its own axis.

The spool 20 is held by the spool shank chuck 468 of the spool chuckmechanism 464. When the spool 20 is rotated, the spool positioningfinger 476 of the spool shank chuck 468 abuts against the step 20 b ofthe spool 20, whereupon the spool 20 stops its rotation. The spool 20 isnow positioned with respect to the spool chuck mechanism 464.

The second turntable 462 is turned about 90° for placing the positionedspool 20 in the spool supply station ST1. In the spool supply stationST1, one of the spool chuck mechanisms 246 on the first turntable 262 ispositioned. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 17, the spool 20 held bythe spool chuck mechanism 464 is disposed between the first and secondsupport assemblies 268, 270 of the spool chuck mechanism 264.

As shown in FIGS. 17, 21, and 22, the first cam mechanism 329 a of thecam mechanism 274 is actuated to cause the first finger 331 a to movethe end of the swing arm 310 in the direction indicated by the arrow C.Consequently, the swing arm 310 presses the movable sleeve 276 towardthe spool 20, and causes the cam 314 to push the rod 316 in thedirection indicated by the arrow, pressing the slide pin 306 coupled tothe rod 316 by the link 319 toward the spool 20. The opposite ends ofthe spool 20 are now gripped by the holder shaft 286 and the rotatablesleeve 308 and released from the spool chuck mechanism 464.

Specifically, the shorter boss 20 d of the spool 20 is held by thestepped inner circumferential surface 296 a of the cylindrical body 296of the holder shaft 286, and the longer boss 20 e of the spool 20 isheld by the stepped inner circumferential surface 308 a of the rotatablesleeve 308. Therefore, the end face of the shorter boss 20 d and the endface of the longer boss 20 e are supported respectively by thecylindrical body 296 and the rotatable sleeve 308, thereby centering thespool 20 in its axial direction. The outer circumferential surface ofthe shorter boss 20 d and the outer circumferential surface of thelonger boss 20 e are held respectively by the cylindrical body 296 andthe rotatable sleeve 308, thereby centering the spool 20 in its radialdirection.

Therefore, the spool 20 is centered highly accurately in its radialdirection, and the axial center of the spool 20 and the center of theelongate film F inserted in the groove 20 a are brought highlyaccurately into alignment with each other, so that the elongate film Fcan be wound around the spool at a high speed. The distance that thefirst and second support assemblies 268, 270 move linearly is smallerthan if the spool 20 were centered by supporting the flanges 20 f, 20 g,with the result that the elongate film F can be wound around the spoolat a high speed.

Since the position to which the first support assembly 268 is movedaxially of the spool 20 is mechanically determined by the cam mechanism274, the cylindrical body 296 serves as a spool positioning reference.Since the rotatable sleeve 308 of the second support assembly 270 isactuated via the spring 318, the end face of the longer boss 20 e of thespool 20 is pressed and positioned by the rotatable sleeve 308. Becausethe spool 20 is positioned with respect to the shorter boss 20 d, thecentering mechanism is simple and operates for good positioningreproducibility.

The spool 20 has high dimensional accuracy if it is molded ofpolystyrene particularly for use with a 135 mm film. Therefore, whensuch a spool 20 is centered, it is free of the effect of errors whichwould be caused by parts thereof. The spool 20 may be centered axiallyusing the flanges 20 f, 20 g, and radially using outer circumferentialsurfaces of the shorter boss 20 d and the longer boss 20 e.

When the spool 20 positioned in the spool positioning station ST2 a issupported at its opposite ends by the spool chuck mechanism 264, thefirst and second turntables 262, 462 are turned respective angles in thedirection indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5, bringing the spool chuckmechanism 264 holding the spool 20 to the spool positioning inspectingstation ST2.

In the spool positioning inspecting station ST2, the cam rod 396 of thecam mechanism 394 of the rotating and positioning mechanism 390 isdisplaced upwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow D, as shownin FIGS. 20 and 25. Therefore, the slide base 404 is displaced along theguide rail 402 by the swing arm 400 toward the first support assembly268 of the spool chuck mechanism 264 in the direction indicated by thearrow E.

The sleeve 418 of the spool rotating mechanism 392 is disposed on theslide base 404. The clutch drive sleeve 422 fixed to the distal end ofthe sleeve 418 abuts against the clutch sleeve 282 of the first supportassembly 268, whereupon the clutch sleeve 282 moves toward the spoolagainst the bias of the spring 284. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17, theclutch surface 292 of the clutch sleeve 282 is released from the clutchsurface 290 of the clutch member 288, and the gears 428, 294 of theclutch members 426, 288 are brought into mesh with each other. Thus, themechanical clutch 280 is engaged.

As shown in FIG. 24, the arm 434 has been displaced closely to the spool20 held by the spool chuck mechanism 264 by the cam assembly 436 untilthe engaging finger 430 mounted on the arm 434 and biased by the spring432 engages the spool 20. The motor 406 is energized to rotate the driveshaft 408 to rotate the rotatable shaft 414, whereupon the clutch member426 splined to the rotatable shaft 414 is rotated (see FIG. 17). Becausethe clutch member 288 meshes with the clutch member 426, the holdershaft 286 rotates in unison with the clutch member 288.

The spool 20 is held by the holder shaft 286 and the rotatable sleeve308, and hence is rotated by the holder shaft 286. When the engagingfinger 430 held in contact with the outer circumferential surface of thespool 20 engages the step 20 b thereof, the spool 20 stops its rotation,and the rotational power from the motor 406 is cut off by the magnetictorque control mechanism 410. The angularly positioning of the spool 20is now ended. In the spool positioning inspecting station ST2, theinspecting device 441 inspects whether the spool 20 has been positionedin a desired attitude or not. In the spool positioning inspectingstation ST2 or the spool positioning station ST2 a, the spool 20 isinspected for flange defects.

After the spool 20 has been positioned, the arm 434 is swung upwardly bythe cam assembly 436, causing the engaging finger 430 mounted on the arm434 to be spaced from the step 20 b of the spool 20 to a position out ofinterference with the rotation of the first turntable 262. The spoolrotating mechanism 392 is disposed in a position spaced from the spoolchuck mechanism 264 by the cam mechanism 394.

A spool 20 which has been found acceptable by various inspectingprocesses is placed in the inserting station ST3 where a sized film 16is inserted into the groove 20 a in a spool 20. A spool 20 which hasbeen found defective is shifted together with a defect signal to theinserting station ST3, whereupon the supply of a sized film 16 isstopped.

The defect signal of the spool 20 which has been found defective isshifted successively through the stations on the first turntable 262,and the winding of a sized film 16 in the prewinding station ST4 and thewinding station ST5 is stopped. After the spool 20 is delivered to thefirst and second transfer units 514, 516, the spool is discharged intothe discharge chute 520 by the discharging unit, as with a defectivefilm coil 32, as shown in FIG. 4.

According to the first embodiment, as described above, the spool 20positioned in the spool positioning station ST2 a of the spoolpositioning and supplying unit 460 is held by the spool chuck mechanism264 on the first turntable 262 and delivered to the inserting stationST3, and before the spool 20 is placed in the inserting station ST3, thespool is inspected for its positioning and flange defects.

Therefore, the sized film 16 is prevented from being inserted into adefective spool 20, and hence from being discarded, resulting in aneconomical consumption of the film material. Particularly, in as much asthe spool 20 is inspected before it is placed in the inserting stationST3, any defect of the spool 20 can reliably be detected, and the sizedfilm 16 can be inserted into a normal spool 20 only. Thus, it ispossible to manufacture high-quality packaged products 12 efficientlyand reliably.

A process of cutting off and inserting a sized film 16 of 12 frames ormore (normal mode) will be described below with reference to FIG. 29 and30A through 30D. In the normal mode, the first cam assembly 120 of thecam switching mechanism 100 is actuated (see FIG. 8A), and the first camfollower 212 a of the cam switching unit 184 engages the first cam 214a.

First, the servomotor 103 of the first feed mechanism 94, the servomotor186 of the second feed mechanism 96, and the insertion motor 232 of theinserting mechanism 98 are energized in synchronism with each other. Theelongate film F is now delivered in the direction indicated by the arrowA by the rotating sprocket 102 which engages in the perforations 74 inthe opposite sides of the elongate film F. The leading end of theelongate film F passes through the cutting mechanism 92 into the niproller pair 180 of the second feed mechanism 96.

In the nip roller pair 180, since the drive roller 188 is rotated, theelongate film F is gripped and fed by the drive roller 188 and thedriven roller 190 in the direction indicated by the arrow A, andsupported at its opposite sides in the film guide grooves 202 a, 202 bdefined in the respective guide members 200 a, 200 b. The leading end ofthe elongate film F is inserted between the first inserting roller 234and the first pinch roller 238 of the inserting mechanism 98 (see FIG.30A). Furthermore, the leading end of the elongate film F is guided bythe guide plates 248 a, 248 b and inserted between the second insertingroller 236 and the second pinch roller 240 (see FIG. 30B), after whichthe leading end of the elongate film F is inserted into the groove 20 ain the spool 20 which is supported on the first turntable 262 (see FIG.30C).

When the leading end of the elongate film F has been delivered to theinserting mechanism 98, the film guide 182 is opened. Specifically, asshown in FIG. 10, the drive shaft 216 is rotated to rotate the first andsecond cam assemblies 214 a, 214 b in unison with each other, and thefirst cam follower 212 a engaging the first cam assembly 214 a movesalong the cam profile surface of the first cam assembly 214 a.

Since the first cam follower 212 a is mounted on the end of the firstswing plate 210 a, the first swing plate 210 a is turned with themovable sleeve 208 about the rod 206. When the movable sleeve 208 isturned in a certain direction, the swing lever 220 integral with themovable sleeve 208 swings, causing the joint rod 224 to turn the swinglink 226 about the shaft 228.

The angular movement of the swing link 226 is converted by the link 230into rotation of the rotatable shafts 196 a, 196 b, turning the guidemembers 200 a, 200 b supported on the rotatable shafts 196 a, 196 b bythe joint bars 198 a, 198 b in directions away from each other. Theelongate film F is now released from the film guide 182.

The leading end of the elongate film F fed into the inserting mechanism98 is inserted into the groove 20 a in the spool 20 on the firstturntable 262, and extended from the opposite side of the spool 20. Atthis time, the microswitch (not shown) of the insertion detecting device442 is actuated (see “INSERTION DETECTED” in FIG. 29). Based on a drivesignal from the insertion detecting device 442, the insertion guide 242of the inserting mechanism 98 is actuated to turn the guide plates 248a, 248 b in directions away from each other (opening directions) forthereby releasing the elongate film F.

The first and second pinch rollers 238, 240 mounted on the guide plates248 a, 248 b are angularly moved in unison with the guide plates 248 a,248 b, and the insertion motor 232 is de-energized.

The elongate film F is fed a preset length from the cutting position inthe direction indicated by the arrow A by the sprocket 102 and the niproller pair 180, forming a loop between the spool 20 and the nip rollerpair 180. When the elongate film F is fed the preset length, thesprocket 102 and the nip roller pair 180 are inactivated, and thecutting mechanism 92 is actuated (ON) (see FIG. 30D).

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the first cam follower 130engages the first cam 126 which rotates in unison with the drive shaft124, and is displaced along the first cam profile surface 136. Thedisplacement of the first cam follower 130 is converted into angularmovement of the first swing plate 146, and the support shaft 152 fixedto the other end of the first swing plate 146 is swung about the rod142.

As shown in FIG. 6, the swing link 158 is coupled to the support shaft152 by the connecting rod 156. The swing link 158 swings about the shaft160, causing the long link 114 to swing downwardly about the pivot 116.The short link 112 engaging the long link 114 causes the verticallymovable base 108 to move downwardly along the rail 110. The movableblade 106 is lowered to cut (trim) the elongate film F with the movableblade 106 and the fixed blade 104.

When the nip roller pair 180 is actuated, the trailing end 16 c of thesized film 16, which has been cut to a predetermined length by thecutting mechanism 92. is fed in the direction indicated by the arrow A.Therefore, trailing end 16 c of the sized film 16 is released from thenip roller pair 180, and only the leading end 16 a thereof is insertedinto and supported by the spool 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first turntable 262 is angularly moved apredetermined angle in the direction indicated by the arrow, bringingthe spool chuck mechanism 264 holding the spool 20 into the prewindingstation ST4. In the prewinding station ST4, the prewinding mechanism 444is actuated to press the clutch sleeve 282 toward the spool 20 againstthe bias of the spring 284, as shown in FIG. 17. The cylindrical body296 is rotated with the clutch surfaces 290, 292 spaced from each other.The sized film 16, whose leading end 16 a is retained by the spool 20,is prewound to a predetermined length around the spool 20.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, when the trailing end 16 a of thesized film 16 passes across the first photosensor 452 a, the rotationalspeed of the shank 20 h is reduced, and when the trailing end 16 c isdetected by the second photosensor 452 b, the spool 20 is stoppedagainst rotation. After the touch rollers 448 a, 448 b have been spacedfrom the spool 20, the first turntable 262 is rotated. When the spoolchuck mechanism 264 holding the spool 20 with the prewound film reachesthe winding station ST5, the winding mechanism 446 is actuated. Thesized film 16 is now wound around the spool 20, producing a film coil32.

The film coil 32 is delivered to the transfer station ST6, in which thefilm coil 32 is released from the spool chuck mechanism 264 by thesecond cam mechanism 329 b and then delivered to the first transfer unit514. The film coil 32 is turned 90° from the horizontal attitude to thevertical attitude, and then gripped by the second transfer unit 516 inthe vertical attitude. When the second transfer unit 516 receives thefilm coil 32 with the wound sized film 16, the second transfer unit 516delivers the film coil 32 in the upstanding attitude to the index table518 of the assembling unit 36, and inserts the film coil 32 into acartridge 28 with one open end placed on the index table 518.

A cap 26 b is pressed over and staked on the upper open end of thecartridge 28 with the film coil 32 inserted therein, producing anassembled cartridge 34. The assembled cartridge 34 is then fed from thedark room 44 to the bright room 45, and delivered to the encasing unit42.

In the encasing unit 42, a case 38 is delivered to the index table 522,and then the assembled cartridge 34 is inserted into the case 38. Then,a case cap 40 is inserted into an open end of the case 38, producing apackaged product 12. The packaged product 12 is then delivered to theconveyor 62, and introduced selectively into the packaged film productaccumulating units 61 a, 61 b, 61 c.

A process of winding a shorter film, e.g., a sized film 16 of 5 frames,around a spool 20 (short-film mode) will be described below withreference to FIGS. 31 and 32A through 32D.

First, a process of changing the timing of operation of the cuttingmechanism 92 and the film guide 182 is carried out. Specifically, asshown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the cylinder 164 of the switching unit 134 isactuated to cause the arm 168 to move the roller cam 170 in thedirection indicated by the arrow B1. The flanges 150 a, 150 b engaged bythe roller cam 170 move the movable sleeve 144 in the directionindicated by the arrow B1, displacing the first cam follower 130 awayfrom the first cam profile surface 136 of the first cam 126. The secondcam follower 132 engages the second cam profile surface 138 of thesecond cam 128 (see FIG. 8B). The second cam assembly 122 is now readyto operate.

As shown in FIG. 10, the switching unit 218 of the cam switching unit184 is actuated. The movable sleeve 208 axially moves, displacing thefirst cam follower 212 a out of engagement with the first cam 214 a anddisplacing the second cam follower 212 b into engagement with the secondcam 214 b.

After the above switching operation is carried out, the feeder 70 isoperated to deliver the elongate film F unwound from the film roll 14into the film cutting and inserting device 90, whereupon the first feedmechanism 94, the second feed mechanism 96, and the inserting mechanism98 are actuated in synchronism with each other. The elongate film F isfed a preset length in the direction indicated by the arrow A whilebeing guided by the film guide 182 upon rotation of the sprocket 102 andthe nip roller pair 180.

After the elongate film F is fed the preset length and its leading endis gripped by the first inserting roller 234 and the first pinch roller238, the first feed mechanism 94, the second feed mechanism 96, and theinserting mechanism 98 are inactivated (see FIG. 32A).

Then, the cutting mechanism 92 is actuated (ON). At this time, thesecond cam assembly 122 of the cam switching mechanism 100 has beenactuated, displacing the second cam follower 212 b along the second camprofile surface 138 of the second cam 214 b. The swing link 158 swingsat an earlier time than in the normal mode, lowering the movable blade106 in unison with the vertically movable base 108 (see FIG. 32B).Therefore, a shorter film, e.g., a sized film 16 of 5 frames, than thefilm in the normal mode, is produced.

As shown in FIG. 32C, the second feed mechanism 96 and the insertingmechanism 98 are actuated to insert the leading end 16 a of the sizedfilm 16 into the groove 20 a in a spool 20. When the leading end 16 a ofthe sized film 16 is detected by the insertion detecting device 442, thesecond feed mechanism 96 and the inserting mechanism 98 are inactivated,and the film guide 182 and the insertion guide 242 are activated.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the second cam follower 212 b and thesecond cam 214 b of the cam switching unit 184 angularly move the swinglink 226 at a predetermined time, causing the link 230 to impartrotation to the rotatable shafts 196 a, 196 b. When the rotatable shafts196 a, 196 b are rotated, the guide members 200 a, 200 b swing away fromeach other, releasing the sized film 16 from the guide grooves 202 a,202 b (see FIG. 32D).

In the insertion guide 242, as shown in FIG. 13, the support shafts 246a, 246 b are rotated to turn the guide plates 248 a, 248 b in unisonwith the first and second pinch rollers 238, 240 in directions away fromeach other, releasing the sized film 16 (see the solid lines to thetwo-dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 13).

If the number of frames of the film ranges from 9 to 10 in theshort-film mode, then the cutting mechanism 92 is actuated by the secondcam assembly 122, and the film guide 182 is actuated by the first cam214 a and the first cam follower 212 a as in the normal mode. Thenumbers of frames and cam patterns for switching the cutting mechanism92 and the film guide 182 are shown in the following table:

TABLE 1 number of cutting mechanism 92 film guide 182 frames cam camfollower cam cam follower 12-27 126 130 214a 212a  9-10 128 132 214a212a 5-8 128 132 214b 212b

In the first embodiment, if the length of a preset sized film 16 isgreater than the distance H from the cutting position of the cuttingmechanism 92 to the inserting position for the spool 20, then thecutting mechanism 92 is actuated by the first cam assembly 120 of thecam switching mechanism 100 in the normal mode. The elongate film F isnow fed a preset length by the first feed mechanism 94, the second feedmechanism 96, and the inserting mechanism 98 until the leading end ofthe elongate film F is inserted into the groove 20 a in the spool 20.Thereafter, the cutting mechanism 92 is actuated by the first camassembly 120 for cutting off the elongate film F.

If the length of a preset sized film 16 is smaller than the distance H,the cam switching mechanism 100 switches from the first cam assembly 120to the second cam assembly 122. The elongate film F is fed a presetlength shorter than the distance H, and thereafter the cutting mechanism92 is actuated by the second cam assembly 122 for cutting off theelongate film F. Then, the shorter sized film 16 is fed by the secondfeed mechanism 96 and the inserting mechanism 98 until the leading endof the shorter sized film 16 is inserted into the groove 20 a in thespool 20.

The different sequences of operation for the normal mode and theshort-film mode depending on the preset length of the sized film 16 canbe selected by changing the timing of operation of the cutting mechanism92. The timing of operation of the cutting mechanism 92 can easily andaccurately be changed simply by switching between the first and secondcam assemblies 120, 122 of the cam switching mechanism 100. Therefore,sized films 16 having various different lengths ranging from shorterfilms (10 frames or less) to longer films (12 frames or more) canautomatically and smoothly be wound around spools 20 according to asimple control process.

In the first embodiment, the timing of operation of the film guide 182of the second feed mechanism 96 is switched by the cam switching unit184 depending on the length of a sized film 16. Therefore, sized films16 having various different lengths can smoothly be guided with a simplearrangement, allowing those sized films 16 to be inserted highlyefficiently into spools 20.

In the first embodiment, furthermore, the first and second pinch rollers238, 240 of the inserting mechanism 98, each split into two rollersegments, are mounted on the openable and closable guide plates 248 a,248 b. When the guide plates 248 a, 248 b are angularly moved away fromeach other, the first and second pinch rollers 238, 240 swing in unisontherewith. Accordingly, the film can be released reliably with a simplearrangement.

If a defective elongate film F is introduced into the film cutting andinserting device 90, a defective film discharge signal is produced tobring the film cutting and inserting device 90 into a defective filmdischarge mode. Specifically, the film coiling unit 22 stops in itsorigin, the film guide 182 is opened, and at least the sprocket 102 ofthe first feed mechanism 94 and the nip roller pair 180 of the secondfeed mechanism 96 are actuated. Therefore, the defective portion of theelongate film F is fed to a position downstream of the cutting mechanism92 by the sprocket 102 and the nip roller pair 180. After the first andsecond feed mechanisms 94, 96 are inactivated, the cutting mechanism 92is actuated.

In the cutting mechanism 92, the drive shaft 124 is stopped, and thesecond cylinder 157 is actuated as shown in FIG. 6. The swing link 158is angularly moved to move the vertically movable base 108 downwardly.The movable blade 106 is lowered to cut off the defective portion of theelongate film F with the movable blade 106 and the fixed blade 104. Atthis time, the discharge port 250 has been moved over the film feedpath. When the air blower 259 is actuated, the defective film F isattracted by the discharge port 250 and continuously drawn in itsentirety through the discharge chute 252 into the accumulation chamber256 within the discharge box 254. Therefore, the defective portion ofthe elongate film F can automatically be discharged efficiently. Anysized film 16 with a defective portion will not be wound on a spool 20,and hence packaged products 12 have increased quality.

In the first embodiment, the plural spool chuck mechanisms 264 aremounted on the first turntable 262, and each of the spool chuckmechanisms 264 is mechanically operated to hold and release a spool 20by the cam mechanism 274 in response to being placed in the spool supplystation ST1 and the transfer station ST6 each serving as a spool holdingand releasing station.

The cam mechanism 274 has the first cam member 322 fixed to the column330 which supports the distal end of the main shaft 260 rotatable inunison with the first turntable 262, the swing arm 310 swingably mountedon the first turntable 262 in sliding contact with the cam surface 324of the first cam member 322, and the first and second cam mechanisms 329a, 329 b for moving the swing arm 310 along the cam surface 324.Therefore, simply by establishing the profile of the cam surface 324 ofthe first cam member 322, the spool chuck mechanism 264 can hold andrelease a spool 20 in synchronism with other mechanical operations inresponse to being moved to the spool supply station ST1 and the transferstation ST6.

Consequently, various actions in the sequence can easily be timed, andthe overall operation can reliably be speeded up with a simplearrangement. Particularly, since the spool chuck mechanisms 264 aremechanically opened and closed by the cam mechanism 274, theirdurability is much larger than if an actuator such as a solenoid or thelike were employed.

As shown in FIG. 18, each of the spool chuck mechanisms 264 is of aunitized construction, and removably mounted on an outer circumferentialfacet of the first turntable 262 by the positioning assembly 265.Specifically, the positioning pins 267 a, 267 b on the first turntable262 are fitted in the respective engaging holes 266 a, 266 b defined inends of the support blocks 266, and the screws 271 a, 271 b are insertedin the attachment holes 266 c, 266 d in the support blocks 266, andthreaded into the threaded holes 269 a, 269 b in the first turntable 262for thereby fastening the spool chuck mechanisms 264 on the outercircumferential facets of the first turntable 262. Therefore, the spoolchuck mechanisms 264 can be installed on and detached from the firstturntable 262 highly simply, and the spool chuck mechanisms 264 can bepositioned on the first turntable 262 highly accurately for increasedassembling accuracy and integrity.

In each of the spool chuck mechanisms 264, the opposite ends of thespool 20 are held by the holder shaft 286 and the rotatable sleeve 308,and the holder shaft 286 has the cylindrical body 296 held against anend face of the spool 20, and the rotatable pin 300 which can be pressedagainst the end face of the spool 20 under the bias of the spring 298 inthe cylindrical body 296. Therefore, the rotatable pin 300 can reliablyengage the end of the spool 20, and the spool 20 can reliably be rotatedat high speed by the motor 306 of the spool rotating mechanism 292.

As shown in FIG. 19, the key 20 c in an end of the spool 20 is fitted inthe groove 302 in the distal end of the rotating pin 300, and theopening of the groove 301 has a dimension that differs from thethickness of the key 20 c by a range from +0.7 mm to +0.9 mm. Thus, thekey 20 c and the groove 301 can transmit rotation without a reduction inrotation transmitting accuracy due to wobbling movement. After the sizedfilm 16 has been wound around the spool 20, the trailing end of thesized film 16 is prevented from projecting beyond a predeterminedlength. The groove 301 has the outwardly spreading tapered ends 303 forguiding the key 20 c smoothly and reliably into the groove 301.

The rotatable pin 300 is engaged by the spring 298 which has a springforce that is maintained in a range from 250 gf to 450 gf. Therefore,the rotatable pin 300 can effectively be moved back and forth under thebias of the spring 298, for preventing the spool 20 and the spoolrotating mechanism 292 in the engaging position from being undulydamaged.

Each of the spool chuck mechanisms 264 has the mechanical clutch 280 fortransmitting rotational forces of the spool rotating mechanism 292, theprewinding mechanism 444, and the winding mechanism 446 to the holdershaft 286. For example, as shown in FIG. 25, when the sleeve 418 of thespool rotating mechanism 292 is moved toward the first support assembly268 of the spool chuck mechanism 264 by the cam mechanism 394, theclutch drive sleeve 422 fixed to the sleeve 418 presses the clutchsleeve 282 to make the holder shaft 286 rotatable, and brings the clutchmember 426 into mesh with the clutch member 288. When the motor 406 isenergized, rotational forces are transmitted from the rotatable shaft414 directly to the holder shaft 286 for thereby rotating the spool 20.

Since the spool rotating mechanism 392 is coupled to the first supportassembly 268 through the mechanical clutch 280, the transmittingmechanism is made effectively more durable and higher in speed thanother transmitting mechanisms such as a belt and pulleys, and the spool20 can be rotated highly accurately. In the first embodiment, the spool20 can be held on the first turntable 262 highly accurately andreliably, and the sized film 16 can be wound around the spool 20 at highspeed to produce a highly accurate film coil 32. The various actions inthe sequence can easily be timed for high-speed operation because theyare timed by the cam mechanism 274, etc.

FIG. 33 schematically shows a cutting and inserting device 600 as aprocessing device according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention. Those parts of the cutting and inserting device 600 which areidentical to those of the cutting and inserting device 90 according tothe first embodiment are denoted by identical reference characters, andwill not be described in detail below.

In the cutting and inserting device 600, a first turntable 602 hasthereon a spool supply station ST1 b, an inserting station ST2 b, aprewinding station ST3 b, a winding station ST4 b, a film coilinspecting station ST5 b, and a transfer station ST6 b which aresuccessively angularly positioned clockwise (in the direction indicatedby the arrow) in the order named.

A spool positioning supply unit 604 is positioned in partly overlappingrelation to the spool supply station ST1 b of the first turntable 602.The spool positioning supply unit 604 comprises a second turntable 606having thereon a spool receiving station ST1 c, a spool positioningstation ST2 c, a spool inspecting station ST3 c, and the spool supplystation ST1 b. In the second embodiment, the spool positioning supplyunit 604 positions a spool 20 and inspects the spool 20 for itsproperties including its positioning. Thereafter, the spool 20 istransferred to the spool chuck mechanism 264 on the first turntable 602.After having received the spool 20 which has been positioned andinspected in the spool supply station ST1 b, the first turntable 602delivers the spool 20 to the inserting station ST2 b where a sized film16 is inserted into the spool 20.

In the cutting and inserting device 600 according to the secondembodiment, the sized film 16 is inserted into only the spool 20 whichhas been inspected for its properties including its positioning. Thus,an expensive sized film 16 is prevented from being wound around adefective spool 20. The cutting and inserting device 600 according tothe second embodiment offers the same advantages as those of the cuttingand inserting device 90 according to the first embodiment, i.e., iscapable of cutting and inserting films economically and efficiently.

In the method of and apparatus for processing a film according to thepresent invention, the cutting mechanism is selectively operated by thefirst and second cam assemblies depending on the length of a presetsized film. A process of cutting off a photographic photosensitive filmand a process of inserting an end of the photographic photosensitivefilm into a spool can easily be selected, so that sized films of variousdifferent lengths can easily be handled with a highly simplearrangement.

According to the present invention, before a spool is delivered to aninserting station for inserting a photographic photosensitive film, thespool is inspected to check if it is positioned or not. Consequently, aphotographic photosensitive film can smoothly, reliably, and efficientlybe inserted into the spool. A photographic photosensitive film isprevented from being inserted into a defective spool and hence anexpensive photographic photosensitive film is prevented from beingdiscarded as a defective product. Therefore, a photographicphotosensitive film is handled highly economically.

Furthermore, each of the spool chuck mechanisms mounted on the turntableis mechanically opened and closed by the cam mechanism which operates inresponse to the movement of the spool chuck mechanism to the spoolholding and releasing station. Therefore, the spool chuck mechanism canhold and release the spool effectively with a simple arrangement. Thevarious actions in the sequence can easily be timed, and the high-speedoperation and durability of the apparatus can be increased.

Although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention havebeen shown and described in detail, it should be understood that variouschanges and modifications may be made therein without departing from thescope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of processing a film by cutting anelongate photographic photosensitive film to various different presetlengths and inserting an end of said photographic photosensitive filminto a spool, comprising the steps of: holding a positioned spool with aspool chuck mechanism, and delivering the spool successively through aninserting station for inserting the photographic photosensitive filminto the spool, a film coiling station for coiling the photographicphotosensitive film, and a transfer station for transferring a film coilhaving the photographic photosensitive film wound around the spool; andinspecting at least whether the spool is positioned or not while thespool is held by said chuck mechanism, before the spool is fed to saidinserting station.
 2. A method according to claim 1, further comprisingthe step of: if the spool is determined to be defective, feeding saidspool to said inserting station and thereafter discharging the spoolonly without inserting the photographic photosensitive film into thespool.
 3. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:inspecting at least whether the spool is positioned or not in a spoolpositioning inspecting station after said spool is held by the spoolchuck mechanism.
 4. A method according to claim 1, further comprisingthe step of: inspecting at least whether the spool is positioned or notin a spool positioning inspecting station before said spool is held bythe spool chuck mechanism.
 5. An apparatus for processing a film bycutting an elongate photographic photosensitive film to variousdifferent preset lengths and inserting an end of said photographicphotosensitive film into a spool, comprising: a cutting mechanism forcutting the photographic photosensitive film; a first feed mechanism forfeeding the photographic photosensitive film a preset length to saidcutting mechanism; a second feed mechanism disposed downstream of saidcutting mechanism, for feeding a trailing end of the photographicphotosensitive film cut by said cutting mechanism toward the spool; aninserting mechanism disposed near said spool, for inserting a leadingend of the photographic photosensitive film or a sized film cut fromphotographic photosensitive film into said spool; a cam switchingmechanism having first and second cam means selectively coupled to saidcutting mechanism for changing the timing of operation of said cuttingmechanism depending on said preset length; and a spool inspectingstation for inspecting at least whether the spool is positioned or notin a spool positioning inspecting station before the spool is fed tosaid inserting station.
 6. An apparatus for processing a film by cuttingan elongate photographic photosensitive film to various different presetlengths and inserting an end of said photographic photosensitive filminto a spool, comprising: a positioning station for positioning thespool; a spool chuck mechanism for holding the spool which has beenpositioned; a spool inspecting station for inspecting at least whethersaid spool held by said spool chuck mechanism is positioned or not; andan inserting station for inserting an end of the photographicphotosensitive film into the spool which has been inspected.
 7. Anapparatus according to claim 6, further comprising: first and secondturntables which are intermittently rotatable; said first turntablehaving a supply station and said inserting station for receiving atleast said spool which has been positioned; and said second turntablehaving at least said positioning station.
 8. An apparatus for processinga film by cutting an elongate photographic photosensitive film tovarious different preset lengths and inserting an end of saidphotographic photosensitive film into a spool, comprising: a cuttingmechanism for cutting the photographic photosensitive film; a first feedmechanism for feeding the photographic photosensitive film a presetlength to said cutting mechanism; a second feed mechanism disposeddownstream of said cutting mechanism, for feeding a trailing end of thephotographic photosensitive film cut by said cutting mechanism towardthe spool; an inserting mechanism disposed near said spool, forinserting a leading end of the photographic photosensitive film or asized film cut from photographic photosensitive film into said spool; acam switching mechanism for changing the timing of operation of saidcutting mechanism depending on said preset length; and a spoolinspecting station for inspecting at least whether the spool ispositioned or not in a spool positioning inspecting station before thespool is fed to said inserting station.